The impact of digital marketing strategy on promoting local pharmaceutical products

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Abstract

This study investigates the influence of digital marketing strategies on the promotion of locally manufactured pharmaceutical products in Saudi Arabia, aligning with the country’s Vision 2030 digital transformation agenda. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 218 licensed pharmacists using a structured questionnaire. Four core dimensions of digital marketing — content marketing, email marketing, online advertising, and social media marketing (SMM) — were examined through multiple regression analysis. The results demonstrate that SMM exerts the strongest effect, followed by online advertising, while content marketing shows a moderate influence. In contrast, email marketing exhibited no statistically significant impact. These findings underscore the dominant role of interactive and visually driven digital tools, particularly social media — in enhancing the visibility and adoption of local pharmaceutical products. The study contributes to the growing body of digital health marketing literature by providing region-specific empirical evidence and offering actionable insights for pharmaceutical firms, marketers, and policymakers. The implications support the development of data-driven, culturally adaptive marketing frameworks to improve industry competitiveness and consumer reach in the evolving Saudi healthcare ecosystem. The study builds on recent findings by Al-Assaf et al. (2025) and Al Ghadeer et al. (2025), emphasizing the rising relevance of digital platforms in healthcare marketing. It underscores the need for targeted digital efforts to effectively engage pharmacists and boost the visibility of local pharmaceutical products in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Marketing, Analysis of Health Care Markets, Brand, Technological Change, Pharmaceuticals

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — A.N.A. and K.A.F.; Methodology — A.K.S. and K.A.F.; Software — A.N.A., A.K.S., and K.A.F.; Validation — K.A.F.; Formal Analysis — A.N.A. and A.K.S.; Investigation — A.N.A. and A.K.S.; Writing — Original Draft — A.K.S. and K.A.F.; Writing — Review & Editing — A.N.A. and K.A.F.; Visualization — A.K.S. and K.A.F.; Supervision — A.N.A. and K.A.F.; Project Administration — A.K.S. and K.A.F.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: M31, I11, O33

Received: 12.03.2025
Revised: 17.07.2025; 01.08.2025; 08.12.2025
Accepted: 05.01.2026
Published online: 07.01.2026

How to cite this paper: Albarq, A. N., Suleiman, A. K., & Al Falah, K. (2026). The impact of digital marketing strategy on promoting local pharmaceutical products. Corporate and Business Strategy Review, 7(1), 56–66. https://doi.org/10.22495/cbsrv7i1art5